Family Movies The Best Movies for Kids

Originally by Ranker Community

163.2k votes 10.9k voters 287k views 347 items

List Rules Top children's films suitable for young audiences

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Ranker may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

If you have kids, you know you are always on the lookout for a movie that they will love and that you can sit through without clawing your own soul out. These are movies that transcend the whole kids-are-idiots-and-therefore-must-be-talked-down-to trap that many movie makers seem to fall into when it comes to Family Fare. This list of the best movies for kids offers some great suggestions for keeping the little ones happy. And who knows? You might enjoy them, too! Be sure to vote for the kids' movies you like the most, and vote down any you don't.

What makes a great kids movie? Two words: Great animation. Many of the best children's movies ever are animated films, with wonderful characters, a great story line and outstanding animation work. Several movies listed here are among the top 50 greatest animated films of all time (not surprisingly).

Need examples? Choose any Pixar movie. No, really, *any* movie ever made my Pixar. The greatest Pixar characters are instant classics, beloved by children young and old. Another great example: holiday movies. Check out this list of the best Halloween movies for kids, and you'll see.

1

1,858 3,473

Toy Story1995 Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy-comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by John Lasseter, Toy Story was the ...more

2

1,906 3,047

wiabux added The Lion King1994 The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical epic film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Walt Disney ...more

3

1,757 2,648

Finding Nemo2003 Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton, it ...more

4

1,454 1,913

wiabux added Mary Poppins1964 Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill ...more

5

1,425 1,586

The Incredibles2004 The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the sixth film produced by Pixar ...more

6

1,162 1,244

wiabux added Beauty and the Beast1991 Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 30th film in the Walt Disney ...more

7

1,492 1,696

Up2009 Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Pete Docter, the film centers on an ...more

8

1,819 1,584

Happy Feet2006 Happy Feet is a 2006 Australian-American computer-animated musical family film, directed, produced and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation ...more

9

1,473 1,369

The Sound of Music1965 The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Broadway ...more

10

880 1,049

wiabux added The Wizard of Oz1939 The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful ...more

11

1,531 1,068

wiabux added Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the German fairy tale by the ...more

12

802 1,020

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction-family film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, featuring special effects by Carlo ...more

14

1,199 626

AndrewW.Curley added Matilda1996 Matilda is a 1996 American fantasy comedy children's film directed and narrated by Danny DeVito. The screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord is based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same ...more

15

1,134 945

wiabux added Aladdin1992 Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Aladdin is the 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney ...more

16

2,059 825

ChiliBabe added The Little Mermaid1989 The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the Danish fairy tale by Hans ...more

17

1,841 728

caabdul added Kung Fu Panda2008 Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy martial arts film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by John Stevenson and ...more

18

1,063 737

WALL-E2008 WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a ...more

19

3,419 893

jsnungaray added Minions2015 Minions is a 2015 American 3D computer-animated comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, and is a spin-off/prequel to the Despicable Me franchise. Minions Stuart, Kevin, and Bob are ...more

20

676 658

Peter Pan2003 Peter Pan is a 2003 Australian-American-British fantasy film released by Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. It was the first authorized and faithful film or TV ...more

21

677 655

AndrewW.Curley added The Goonies1985 The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The film's ...more

22

1,064 751

Toy Story 21999 Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer-animated comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Lee ...more

23

1,313 661

wiabux added Monsters, Inc.2001 Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Pete Docter, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. John Lasseter and Andrew ...more

24

927 543

wiabux added How to Train Your Dragon2010 How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated action-fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation loosely based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The ...more

25

470 629

Spirited Away2001 Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, ...more